Workout Recovery

Proper recovery is crucial for muscle building

In today’s fast-paced world, recovery can often be the most difficult component to get in place.  Do the following and your body will have the opportunity to process all of the lifting and eating into the muscles you desire.

• Sleep: Do your damnedest to get in 8 hours per day.  A quick 20 minute nap in the afternoon is also great if you can squeeze it in.

• No more circuits:  I love high intensity “Oh, shit I’m gonna puke” circuit training.  But it will be counter productive if you’re trying to pack on the muscle.  You have to be stingy with your calories: save ‘em for the heavy lifting and revisit the circuits when you’re ready to get lean.

• Take Off Days Off:  Pay the neighborhood kid to cut the grass.  Forget about off-day “cardio” nonsense.  And unless your mortgage depends on it, avoid sport specific training if you can.  Again, we’re being stingy with the calories and providing the body time and energy to recover from the intense lifting sessions.

• Relax!!!:  Meditate.  Read a book.  Pet the dog.   Or find a hobby that doesn’t involve jacking your heart rate.  Whatever you do, make time for activities that help you de-stress.

I’m trying to get bigger but it’s not working

If you’re following the plan above and you’re not seeing results, there are a few reasons for it.

1. You’re not eating enough

This is plain and simple.  If you’re following the plan above and you’re not gaining weight, then you’re not eating enough.  Even if you think you’re eating a lot, you’re obviously not because you’re not gaining any weight!

My tips for making sure you always have food around to eat are as follows…

• Prepare meals in advance – You can prepare meals ahead of time for the next 3-4 days.  You might think “this sucks I dont want to eat the same thing”….well TOUGH!  What you’re doing right now obviously isn’t working, so it’s time to try something new.  When trying to build muscle food should be seen as fuel, not a delicious meal.

• Keep your cupboards full – If you don’t have food to cook you’ll end up eating something that’s not going to help you build muscle.  Keep food around at all times.

• Slurp the milk down – Seriously, if you’re not drinking 1/2 gallon – 1 gallon of whole milk per day, then get on it.  Buy 2-3 gallons in advance, and drink them throughout the week.

2. You’re not pushing yourself hard enough when you workout

When you workout, you should be grunting out the last few reps of every set.  That’s how intense each set should be.  If you’re doing shoulder presses and you float through each set without a “tough rep” then you need to add more weight to the bar.

If you find it hard to push yourself like many people do, find a workout partner who is motivated like you that will help push you during a workout.

Your biggest muscle gains are derived from the last few reps you crank out when you think you can’t do anymore. And the actual growth you earn comes when you are resting, allowing the rebuilding process to take place.